1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a vehicular marker lamp that lights in a predetermined lamp function color.
2. Prior Art
A typical vehicular marker lamp that uses light emitting diodes for its light source is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (Kokai) No. 11-306810. In the vehicular marker lamp disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (Kokai) No. 2000-251508, the light source is a light emitting diode, and this lamp uses a light guide plate.
In recent vehicular marker lamps, due to new type of light sources such as light emitting diodes and high precision design methods and the like that uses a CAD system, the lamp chamber is made compact, but the lamp still has the required lamp light distribution function.
With such a compact lamp chamber structure, it is now possible to reduce the overall size of the lamp. Accordingly, the area of a portion that has an exterior appearance of the lamp function color on the surface of a vehicle body is reduced, making it possible to increase the flexibility of a vehicle design.
However, when structuring the lamp chamber compact, the light emitting area becomes smaller accordingly. Therefore, even if the required lamp light distribution function is secured in such a compact lamp, a problem arises in which the marker lamp tends to have difficulty in sufficiently exerting its fundamental function.
Namely, vehicular marker lamps have the function to display the intention of the driver, such as stopping of the vehicle or changing of lane, to the vehicles behind. Thus, if the light emitting area is reduced and mall, it becomes difficult for the drivers behind and the like to recognize that the lamp, which is a problem. In particular, the possibility that the driver behind is an elderly is considerable in the aging society of recent years, and thus attention to allow easier recognition of the lit lamp by the drivers behind and the like has become especially desirable.